editorial
Roots for Japan’s
success run deep
The news last week about the General Motors Saturn
small-car assembly plant wasn’t phat GM picked a small
town in Tennessee to build the plant, but how the plant,
once it is built, will be operated.
The plant, in response to the increasing share of the
American automobile market being claimed by the Japanese,
will incorporate Japanese production methods.
Scrutiny of Japan’s success found the relationship bet
ween Japanese employees and their companies to be the
most significant difference between American and Japanese
production. Japanese companies hire employees for their en
tire working career, and employees more often are involved
in company decisions. The “us vs. them” attitude of
workers and management that predominates in American
companies is absent.
So, GM, frustrated by market losses to Japanese car
manufacturers, decided to try its hand at Japanese-style auto
making for its small cars. By hiring workers on a permanent
basis, paying them salaries, and implicating them in
managerial decisions. GM hopes to instill in its American
workers the loyalty Japanese workers have for their com
panies, and thus, increase production and profits.
The plant will mark the first time Japanese-style car pro
duction will be attempted on a large scale in America. It is
also a move in which America will shed its egocentricity
and try the methods of an Eastern country.
However, GM may find that it will take more than im
itating Japan's outward corporate structure to enjoy the kind
of success that japan has under the system, lhe Japanese
production system is far more complex than just higher
employee involvement and job security.
The Japanese system, rather than being designed
specifically to maximize production, is a reflection of
Japanese society as a whole. The system exists as ii does
because much of society operates on similar principles.
If any one term could describe the Japanese, "group
identity” would be the most accurate. Working as part of a
team, and sacrificing self-serving goals for the good of the
whole aren’t traits that are practiced by the Japanese; they
are social requirements.
For example, unlike Western names, Japanesa names
are pronounced family name first, personal name last,
which emphasizes that it is more important which family
you come from than who you are personally.
And this extends to the workplace. For example, the
word for "workplace” in Japanese derives from the term ie.
which incorporates the traditional concept of household.
Many Japanese see their workplace as an extended family,
often living in company housing in close proximity with
other employees, and constructing their entire social lives
from co-workers.
Westerners — particularly Americans — on the other
hand, emphasize rugged individualism and self-reliance.
The strong American emphasis on the individual may con
flict with the values of group-identity GM will try to instill
in Saturn plant employees.
Although the company may be successful in incor
porating some aspects of Japanese production, several key
elements will be unavoidably absent. For the system to
generate the success of the Japanese system, American
values and attitudes would have to be dramatically
reshaped.
But the few elements that Americans are able to incor
porate may boost production and help American workers
feel less like useless cogs in a huge, uncontrollable machine.
And if this happens, the new production technique may not
only promise changes for automobile production, but for all
forms of management in America.
Read carefully
Jack Straton's recent attempt
(ODE, July 30) to discredit my
letter (ODE, July 18} contains
more fallacies than 1 could
possibly deal with in 250
words. 1 will try to deal with
some of them, though.
Straton begins his attack by
asserting that I “argued for
prayer in public schools ... "
Wrong. A careful (stress
“careful") reading of my letter
would reveal that I was simply
challenging the Supreme'
Court's (and the Emerald's) re
cent "interpretations" of the
First Amendment as being
historically illegitimate.
For evidence, I directed
students to two essays bn the
subject, one by Judge Rehnquist
and another by constitutional
scholar. John Whitehead.
In a shoddy attempt to
discredit these essays, Straton
attacks my supposed presup
positions. ("Visoky's presup
positions that longer essays
contain deeper truth, and that
one person can 'prove' what
another intended or thought,
are absurd.") Wrong again. I do
not presuppose “that longer
essays contain deeper truth." 1
do presuppose, however, that
longer essays give a writer
space to pile up evidence to
prove or disprove a particular
point.
As for Straton's contention
that it is “absurd” to believe
“that one person can ‘prove’
what another intended or
thought." 1 would only ask him
what he thinks the study of
1
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history is all about? Does he
think, for example, that I could
not "prove” what Hitler
thought about or intended for
.the lews?
History. Mr. Straton: look in
to it: Perhaps you could begin
by reading the essays I recom
mended. But do read them
carefully. *
Tom Visoky
foumalism
Obie’s Agenda
Eugene's small size, interest in
and support of small business,
and close community spirit at
tracted me to Eugene. Eugene is
the most special, place I have,
lived.' I hear this often from
other ' Eugene' residents.' they ,
feel it' too. The Agenda/River
froht Park project will ruin
Eugene’s specialriess. Eugene
will become another ugly, big
city. 1 don't want this. 1 want
Eugene to remain small,
special, nurturing, vital and en
vironmentally aware. . •,
The Eugene — Mayor Brian
Obie's — Agenda. Riverfront
Research Park project. Is being
"shared” with the people of
Eugene after its governmental
body already has decided its
plan of action. This is riot in
volving the people’s par
ticipaion. This shows a tremen
dous social irresponsibility on
the part of our elected officials
and public employees.
1 am convinced that the
(obs/careers involved in this
proposed project will be given
to people outside Oregon. Jobs
here should go to the local peo
ple — here.
Not long ago. many people
entered the computer/high tech
field; the promise was careers
for everyone. Now that field is
in,a sluing California's Silicon
Valley is,an example. The peo
ple who devise and implement .
such money-making schemes
are not willing to look at the
long-term effect* of such a plan; '
at the destruction it will'cause..
I propose, an alternative -
small, light industry ehcourag.
ing local employment! Use the _.
millions.of dollars to be used for
Obie's Agenda tq encourage
small loo«l entrepreneurs to
create new business in already
existing structures,, and to ex- \
pand existing business •
• Nan Cohen
Eugene
Encouragement
As a former Peace Corps
volunteer (Liberia, West Africa,.
1975-77). I appreciate . Diana
Elliott’s remarks, contained in
her July 10 piece on l-ive Aid. in
support of the.Corps. However.
I disagree with her crlticismsof
anyone who. in order to help
the people of the Third World,
does less than join the (Uirps.
Pasting for a day. con
tributing a quarter to a fund
raiser on a street corner, buying
a ticket, and attending a benefit .
concert ,.. these are all steps in
the right direction. As opposed
to those who have done
nothing, these faster*. donors
and concert-goers have at least
done something. They deserve
encouragement, not censure.
With encouragement, they will
perhaps do more. Under cen
sure, they may rejoin the
multitude of the uncaring and
uninformed. If so. the world
will be, on the whole, a great
deal less compassionate and. in
the end, a lot hungrier
William Pattison Kogut
journalism, M.A., j.D. ]
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